Signaling apparatus



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1,

C. T. BARRETT. SIGNALING APPARATUS. No. 461,518. Patented Oct. 20 1891.

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(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. T. BARRETT. SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 20, 1891.

3Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

0 T BARRETT SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Patented 0013.20, 1891.

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TE 5 00., mom-urn i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS T. BARRETT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TOHARRY IV. DOUTY, OF JERSEY CITY, NElY JERSEY.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,518, dated October20, 1891.

Application filed June 5, 1891. Serial No. 395,174. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OoRNELIUs T. BARRETT, of Brooklyn,in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Signaling Apparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the condition ofthe switchsignals of a railroad shall be made known by signals locatedon the car or engine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of the rearportion of a railroadengine, partly in section, containing myimprovement. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the engine. Fig. 3 is a plan viewof the track. Fig.

4 is a section of a large portion of' the mechanism located in the cabof the engine. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 00 a; of at. Fig. 6is a modification.

' a is the cab of the engine.

I) b are the rails.

c is the ordinary reciprocating rod running parallel with the track,which may be attached either to the switches or the signals.

d is a rod reciprocating at right angles with the rod 0 and havingmounted upon it the mechanism, as the roller 6, by contact with whichthe mechanism located upon the engine is to be thrown into operation.The reciprocation of the rod 0 is caused to reciprocate the rod (1 byany suitable mechanismsuch as, for instance, that shown in Fig.3, whichconsists of the toggledinks c 0 connected at one end with the rod 61 andat the other end with a stationary piece 0 and pivotally connected attheir junction by the link 0 with the rod 0. In order that the properdirection of motion shall be secured by the action of these togglelinks, the corresponding links 0 0 maybe employed, pivoted at theirjunction to a link 0 which is guided back and forth upon the rod 0.

Now it is evident that when the rod 0 is in the position shown in Fig. 3the roller e will be in the position there shown in full lines; but ifthe rod 0 be thrown in a direction toward the bottom of the drawings theroller e will be shifted into the position indicated in dotted lines.The-first position of this roller will correspond with an arrangement ofswitches or signals on the track as to which no signal is desired to begiven on the engine,

and a second position of the roller will correspond with acondition ofsignals or switches along the track as to which it is desired to give asignal upon the engine. Therefore the mechanism by which the signals aregiven on the engine is placed in such position as to be operated by theroller in its second position and not to be'operated by the roller inits first position. tion lies in the path of the camf, which is mountedupon a rock-shaft f, having bearings in the hangers g and g, dependingfrom the floor of the cab, as shown in Fig. 1. This rock-shaft isprovided with a crank f which 6o a The roller when in its secondposidrives a rod h, pivoted to a reciprocating rod h, mounted inbearings, so as to be held from lateral movement, as shown in Fig. 2.When this rod h is moved upward by' the crank f it is done in antagonismto a coiled spring 77/ which is connected at its lower end'with the rod,and

that the upward movement of the forward end of the lever 2' will raisethe rod j by bearlug against a frictiou-rollerj, mounted in the rod j atthe upper end of the slot, but so that the downward movement of theforward end I of the leverc'simply causes the end of the lever to traveldownward in the slot without compelling a downward movement of the rodj. In this way, after the lever has forced the rod j upward, it mayreturn to its normal position, leaving the rod jin its upward position.A rubber cushion j may be placed below the lower end of the rod j, sothat when that rod returns to its normal position its motions may bearrested without jar.

I will now proceed to describe the means by which the rodj while in itsupward position may produce both an audible and a visible signal in thecab, oreither of the two, as may be desired, while when the rod is inits normal or downward posit-ion no signal is pro duced. The rod jextends upward between the two guideways 7s and 7a, which may be locatedwithin the lower part of a stationary cylinder Z. Adjacent to theseguideways for a certain part of their length are placed the electricconductors Z and Z one of which is connected with each pole of thebattery as shown in Fig. 4. In this circuit is also placed the bellapparatus Z so constructed as to ring the bell while the current isclosed, but to stop ringing when the current is broken. A cross-piece jis mounted upon the rod j, and is provided with an electrical conductorj which will make contact between the conductors Z and I only when therod j haslifted the cross-piece j into position between and while itcontinues between the conductors Z and Z Connected with the rod j isalso a rod in, which carries a visible signal m, arranged in its normalposition behind the screen m but displayed through the opening mwhenever it is carried upward by the upward movement of the rod It willthus be seen that by the mechanism already described neither an audiblenor visible signal will take place when the rod j is at or near thelower end of its stroke; but when the rod j is at the upper end of itsstroke and while it is descending for a considerable distance from theupper end of its stroke both an audible and visible signal will bedisplayed, and in order that these signals may be continued for asufficient length of time I provide means, which I will now describe,for causing the return of the rod j at the lower end of its stroke to begradual. Above the guideways 7c and the cylinder Z is continued, and therod j is provided with a piston j fitting and reciprocating within thecylinder, so as to form a water-tight chamber at between the piston andthe cylinder-head Z excepting as the air may enter or escape through thevalve at the top of the cylinder. This valve 0 is located so as to openoutward in a passage 1, leading from the chamber n to the outer air, andconsequently as the valve 0 is forced upward the piston j? will causethe air from the chamber 12 to raise the valve 0 and escape into theopen air; but when the piston descends the valve 0 will be seated andwill prevent the return of the air, excepting as it finds an entrancethrough a small channel 0, which may be cut through the valve 0 orthrough any other part of the The passage Z inclosure of the chamber'21. is made large enough, so that the air within the chamber 72 makesno substantial opposition to the upward movement of the piston j but thechannel 0 is made so small that the downward movement of the piston isretarded by the slowness with which the air can enter the chamber n, andthe extent of this retardation can be regulated by the master mechanicof the railroad, who may enlarge or contract the channel 0 by anysuitable means.

In many cases it will be found that the weight of the rod j andconnected parts will be sufficient to cause it to return to its normalposition; but, if necessary, a spring arranged in any suitable position,as at 1), may be employed for that purpose.

I have described the retarding of the piston as being accomplished bythe partial vacuum produced in the chamber at; but it will be obviousthat the piston 7' itself operates by friction against the sides of thecylinder, so as to retard the motion to a certain extent independentlyof the partial vaccum, and such a friction-bearing connected with therod j may in certain cases be found sufficient without the employment ofthe partial vacuum.

The electrical conductors Z and Z and 9' will of course be suitablyinsulated, so that the current cannot pass, excepting when thecross-piece j is in the proper position, as described.

The operation of the mechanism isas follows: \Vhen the rod 0 is in theposition shown in Fig. 3, the engine will pass Without producing anysignal in the cab, because the roller 6 will not lie in the path of thecam or finger f; but when the rod 0 has been shifted so as to bring theroller e into the dotted position shown in Fig. 3 it will lie directlyin the path of the cam or fingerf, so that when the engine comes alongthat finger will be rocked either forward or backward, depending uponthe direction in which the engine is going, and will in either case turnthe rock-shaft f, so as to actuate the mechanism which forces the rodupward. This will start the ringing of the bell and also display thevisible signal m. As soon as the finger or cam f has passed the roller 6the spring 7L2 will quickly return all the parts below the rod j totheir normal po sition; but the means already fully described willretard the return of the rod j to a degree which may be regulated by themaster mechanic, and in any event long enough to insure that the signalswithin the cab shall be brought to his attention. Then the rodjwillreturn automatically to its normal position, so as to discontinue thesignals and place the whole apparatus in condition to operate over againin the manner described.

\Vith my apparatus the signal may be given, as described, by the makingof an electric circuit located entirely upon the engine or vehicle andnot requiring for its operation any electrical contact withthe ground orother object disconnected from the vehicle, the me chanical connectionwith the roller located by the track performing the function of changingthe condition of the circuit upon the vehicle. The signal maybe given bythe making of the circuit, as described, or by any other change in thecondition of the circuit which will operate to produce a signal.

In lieu of the roller 6, an inclined surface q may be employed, as shownin Fig.6, mounted similarly to the roller, so as to be reciprocatedtransversely of the track. In this case the finger f will be providedwith a friction-roller r, mounted in suitable bearings at its extremity,so as to glide easily over the incline.

I claim 1. In a contrivance for operating a signaling apparatus locatedon a car or vehicle, in combination, a fingerf, a support for the sameupon the vehicle so arranged that the finger may be moved by aprojection along the track whether the vehicle be moving forward orbackward, a vertical rod, connections between the finger and the rodwhereby the movement of the finger in either direction produces the samevertical movement of the rod, a spring in antagonism to which the rod ismoved by the finger, a signaling device upon the vehicle, connectingmechanism between said rod and said signaling device constructedsubstantially as described, whereby the movement of the rod under theaction of the finger thrusts the signaling mechanism into operativeposition and the return of the rod is made independently of thesignaling mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a contrivance for operating a signaling apparatus located on a caror vehicle, in combination, areciprocating rod or piece, a signalingapparatus, means whereby the signaling apparatus is operated when saidreciprocating rod or piece is at or near one end of its stroke,mechanism adapted to bear against said reciprocating rod or piece, but

disconnected therefrom, whereby after shoving said rod or piece themechanism may return to its normal position ahead ofthe same, a verticalrod extending from said mechanism to the level of the track, acrank-shaft connected with the lower end of said vertical rod, and afinger mounted upon said crank-shaft and adapted to reciprocate saidvertical rod by a movement in either direction, substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination, a roller by the track mounted on a reciprocatedbearing, a finger f, a crank-shaftf, a rod h, a lever 2', a rod j,connected with said lever, substantially as described, whereby themovement of the lever in one direction thrusts the rod, but its movementin the other direction is made independently of the rod, and a signalingapparatus arranged to be thrown into operation by the thrusting of saidrod, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a signaling apparatus located on a car orvehicle, a pivoted finger on the vehicle, mechanism interposed betweensaid finger and said signaling apparatus, wherebythe oscillation of thefinger causes the signal to be given, a roller by the track, and areciprocating shaft on which said roller is free to revolve, wherebywhen the finger strikes the roller the rolling motion of the latter iscommunicated to the for mer, substantially as described.

5. In combination with an electric signal ing apparatus located on a caror vehicle, the following parts for putting the same into operation,viz: a reciprocating rod, electric contacts arranged parallel with theline of movement of said rod and a contact adapted to bridge the spacebetween said contacts when the rod is at or near one end of its stroke,a

finger mounted upon the vehicle near the level of the track, mechanisminterposed between said finger and said rod, whereby the rod is shovedin one direction, means whereby said finger and said mechanism arereturned to their normal position independently of said rod, and meanswhereby the return movement of said rod is retarded, substantially asdescribed.

6. As a means by the track for actuatinga signaling apparatus on a caror vehicle, in combination, the roller 6, the reciprocating shaft cl,upon which it is free to revolve, the reciprocating rod 0, thetoggle-links 0, c c and 0 the link 0 connected with the rod 0 and thetoggle-links on one side, and thelink 0 connected with the toggle-linkson the other side and guided by the rod 0, substantially as described.

CORNELIUS T. BARRETT.

Witnesses:

FRED KEMPER, J. E. GREER.

